If tequila is your bogie drink, we’ve got good news for you: an Aussie margarita isn’t made with tequila—well, not legally anyway. Here’s how to Aussie-up this citrusy salty tequila-y classic cocktail.
Tequila and citrus have been in a solid marriage pretty much since Mexico started distilling agave plants.
That mix of tequila’s earthy, oily vegetal flavours and lime or lemon’s sharp kick and slight sweetness is a clever balance, and it’s where Mexico’s classic tequila sour comes from.
It’s also where the margarita has emerged from (and those unholy tequila slammers that have been sending shivers down spines).
Rumour has it that the margarita was created in Texas for singer-songwriter Peggy Lee in 1945 and was a tequila twist on a sidecar.
But whether it was Peggy’s love of tequila and that classic cognac cocktail, or if it’s a case of sheer evolution, the margarita is a superb drink—even more so now we can make it with Aussie craft spirits!
How To Make An Aussie Margarita
First off, it’s important to remember that unless it’s made in Mexico, we can’t call it tequila. Even if the distiller has used the same traditional techniques that Mexican distillers have been employing for centuries. It's also different to mezcal.
Australia's must be called 'agave spirit' and you can read more about Australian ‘tequila’ here.
But the number of Aussie agave distillers is constantly growing, and the spirits they’re crafting are amazing.
Ingredients
- 45ml bianco style agave spirit—Mount Uncle’s Dirt Road White Agave or Mountain Distillery’s Agave Bianco are excellent
- 25ml triple sec—Byron Bay Distillery’s triple sec or Marionette’s Orange Curacao are both perfect for this
- 30-45ml lime or lemon juice—start with 30ml then check to see if you need more
- salt for the glass rim and a slice of lime as garnish
Method
1. Shake ingredients over lots of ice until the shaker is frosty.
2. Cover a small plate with salt, wipe the lime slice around the rim of the glass and press the glass into the salt so it sticks.
3. Double strain into a glass (or you can fine strain the citrus before you put it in the shaker to clear out the pulp) and garnish with the lime wheel.
There are also about a million different versions of the classic margarita, from adding fruit and chocolate to an egg white or aquafaba in the shaker to create a foam top.
You can even pile crushed ice into the glass or burn herbs or bark under a cloche to create smoke in your cocktail—the variations are endless.
Just make sure you don’t call your agave spirit tequila and she’ll be right!
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